Wi-Charge and the EIC Accelerator: €13.4M, Then a Shutdown

Wi-Charge wanted power to move through the air: a transmitter on the ceiling beaming infrared light to small receivers in devices across the room, with no cables and no battery changes. The Israeli company, in business for 14 years, got further than most. Its technology was safety-approved and sold, powering shelf-edge displays in shops and, from 2026, a kit for smart door locks.

The European Innovation Council awarded it €13.4 million, announced in October 2021 without a split between grant and equity. CORDIS shows an EU grant of €2,299,751 towards a €5.51 million project that ran from June 2022 to May 2024. On 23 August 2026 co-founder and CEO Ori Mor announced that Wi-Charge was shutting down, citing slow adoption and the difficulty of funding a hardware company.

How Wi-Charge Ended

Ctech reported on 23 August 2026 that Wi-Charge was shutting down after 14 years. Mor wrote that the company "became one of the few companies in the world to bring room-scale wireless power transmission from the laboratory to commercial deployment", and that he still believed "wireless energy transfer is ultimately inevitable". Ctech named the EIC Fund as a notable investor.

The trade site invidis summed up the reasons: a chicken-and-egg problem, with device makers waiting for transmitters to be installed and transmitter buyers waiting for compatible devices; wireless power as "a vitamin rather than a painkiller"; and the long cycles and high costs of hardware, which deterred venture capital. It reported products in 39 US states, OEM adoption rates of up to 90% and consumer take rates above 20% where the product was offered.

The Technology: Power by Infrared Beam

Wi-Charge's system sends an infrared beam from a transmitter to a small receiver in the device, delivering power over several metres. In the 2021 announcement on EuropaWire, the company claimed "30 times the power of other solution providers, at ten times the range", over more than 30 feet. The EIC award description promised a range of 10 metres.

What the EIC Award Was, and What the Record Shows

The project's grant agreement was signed on 22 June 2023, a year after its start date. Its final report says the company took its system to the level "required to perform pilot runs", built prototype end products including a charging pad, a game controller, a toothbrush and faucets, and "successfully completed most of the necessary steps" towards CE marking. It reports "a very big demand in retail" for Wi-Spot wirelessly powered screens and deployments "in various stages of pilot and lab testing" in 12 countries and territories. In October 2021 then-CEO Victor Vaisleib said the money would help Wi-Charge "more rapidly develop and commercialize" its technology. It did commercialise: the company unveiled wirelessly powered 9-inch retail video displays in October 2024 and, in February 2026, sold out a first batch of a wireless power kit for Schlage Encode smart locks, according to Tracxn's company news summary. Tracxn also lists a Series C in May 2025, without an amount.

1. Commercial productsDeliveredRetail displays and a smart lock kit on sale.
2. Market reachPartialSold in dozens of countries, but adoption stayed niche.
3. A self-sustaining companyNot achievedShut down in August 2026.

What Has Happened Since the Award

The Money

By Ctech's count Wi-Charge raised about $23 million in total, with the EIC Fund and the investment arm of Standard Investments among its backers. How much of the EIC's €13.4 million award was paid out as equity, and whether Ctech's total includes it, is not public. Ctech reported that the company could not secure enough funding to expand.

Why Europe Should Care

At €13.4 million, the EIC made a large bet on a non-EU hardware company in a market that did not yet exist. The technology worked and was sold, but the market did not arrive in time. For an investor with public money, that is the risk of backing a new category, and Wi-Charge is a clear example of it materialising.

The Verdict

Wi-Charge, now shut down, has not been asked for comment for this article. It is based entirely on public reporting and company statements, linked throughout.